BLACK SAW-BELLIED SALMON. 227 



tribes of British Guiana, inhabits the rivers which 

 intersect that fertile colony. They are not to be 

 found within forty miles of the coast, nor are they 

 plentiful at the upper part of the rivers. Their 

 favourite haunt appears to be those parts of the 

 rivers which are between a hundred and a hun- 

 dred and fifty miles from the coast, chiefly if there 

 be large blocks of rock, about which they hover 

 to procure themselves worms, &c. The ovary in 

 the female is double. They deposit their spawn 

 in the currentless inlets which form so peculiar a 

 feature in the rivers of Guiana ; this occurs during 

 the months of January and February, at which 

 period we found the females generally destitute of 

 roe. 



" While we ascended the river Cabalaba, a tribu- 

 tary of the Corentyn, from the east, we observed 

 a river-cavia {Hydrochaerus capylara) with five 

 young ones, out of which number three were cap- 

 tured; and all were deficient in their toes, they 

 having been bitten off by the pirais. 



" Whilst we were continuing our course on the 

 river Corentyn, one morning, an object was observed 

 to drift into the middle of the stream, around which 

 there appeared to be a great commotion. The tele- 

 scope did not assist us in coming to a conclusion 

 what it might be; and though we were in-shore, 

 stemming a strong current, I ordered the corial to 

 paddle for it. When we came near, we observed 

 the head of a large luganani or sun-fish {Cyckla ocel- 

 laris), which was surrounded by numerous pirais. 



